Katherine was born, raised and lived at Henderson her entire life. She was the fifth of eleven children, growing up on a farm 4 miles east of Henderson. She was raised by parents who loved the Lord and provided her a solid Christian foundation. There were two things they never missed, Sunday morning worship service and Sunday evening youth activities at Church. She enjoyed her childhood years on the farm even though it was the depression years when the crops were poor because of the lack of rain and money was scarce. She was taught to work hard with chores, gardening and helping in the fields.
Katherine trusted in Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord in 1941 when she was 17 years old at a Billy Sunday revival meeting in Sioux City, Iowa. Later she was baptized upon her profession of faith in Jesus and became a member of the Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson. John 1:12 became the verse she claimed when she gave her heart to the Lord. “But as many as receive Him, to them He gave the power to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
Graduating from Henderson High School in 1943, Katherine attended York College and received a teaching certificate, after which she taught country school for three years. On September 9, 1945 she met Sam R. Janzen of Leigh, Kansas, who was in Henderson helping with corn harvest. They were married May 29, 1946 and moved to the Henderson area late that summer to farm for their entire married life. The Lord blessed Sam and Katherine with three sons and one daughter, Ronald, Dale, Kenneth and Arlene. Sam and Katherine enjoyed 50 years of marriage together before Sam died March 13, 1997.
Katherine married Marvin Siebert of Henderson August 14, 1999 and moved from the farm to Henderson. The Lord blessed their marriage for 24 years. She enjoyed her blended family as she continued cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, quilting and being with family. She was always busy serving others and hosting many guests in their home through the years.
She is preceded in death by her first husband, Sam Janzen, her daughter Arlene Kay Knott, her parents and her brothers and sisters: Dietrich, Sara, Peter, Henry, Marie, Aaron, Daniel, David, Elizabeth and Walter.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband Marvin Siebert, sons Ronald L. Janzen of Henderson, Dale L. and Susan Janzen of Central City, Kenneth L. and Brenda Janzen of Henderson, son-in-law James and Dawn Knott of Lincoln, 15 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren; step children Delmer Siebert, Sharlene Doell, Darrell Siebert, Shirley Ulrich of Henderson, and Mary (Dennis) Osborne of York, 7 step grandchildren and 19 step great-grandchildren, and sisters-in-law Esther Quiring and Lavina Quiring.
Graveside services will be held at 1:15 pm, Friday, September 1, 2023, at Mennonite (Buller) Cemetery southeast of Henderson. Memorial services will follow at 2:00 pm, at Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson, with the Reverends Chelsea Vaught and Dale Janzen officiating. Visitation will be from 1-9 pm on Thursday, with family greeting friends from 6-8pm, all at Metz Mortuary in Henderson. Memorials may be directed to Henderson Health Care Assisted Living or Haggai Institute.